225. Sky Silk (1)
225. Sky Silk (1)
- 1 -
Two days had passed since the Fate (縁) Meeting at the Royal Hunting Grounds concluded.
"I behold my Master."
A man approached me directly, then without a moment's hesitation, bowed his body low in salute before me.
A greeting befitting a slave.
Considering the shield-shaped family crest affixed to the collar of his tunic, it was a curious thing.
It was a badge proving his barony, after all.
However, in truth, he was indeed no different from a slave in terms of his rank within my dungeon.
Since he was a mimic-type magical beast, newly created not long ago from Yuran's sorcery and Shue's magic power.
"Yes. I heard you obtained what I desired."
"Yes! Here... this is what the Duke instructed me to deliver to you, Master."
The Baron lifted a single sheet of paper with both hands and offered it to me.
It was a sheet of red paper, lavishly bordered in gold.
The moment my hand touched it, both his hands trembled greatly.
"Thank you."
"It is my honor!"
A shout that seemed to prove he was my faithful slave.
Regrettably, however, I still did not remember his name.
I could remember them all if I chose to, but since I hadn't yet decided whether to properly take them in.
"What is your name?"
"Yes! I am..."
My asking his name was purely in the sense of a reward.
He had done commendably in obtaining the right answer.
The instruction I had given them was merely 'bring every invitation to any Fate (縁) Meeting where good people will attend'.
I set his name aside and examined the invitation.
The invitation bore the family crest of Duke Astermark.
"A week from now..."
The invitation was inscribed with the date, time, and a list of attendees.
Among them, one name in particular seized my gaze as if by fate.
「Ester Kantes Orpina」
I smiled.
The Saintess dispatched by the Holy Kingdom under the justification of mediating the war between the three kingdoms, including Hysen.
Until recently, she had been frequently out and about, but lately she had been confined to the mansion where the Holy Kingdom's people resided, never setting foot outside.
And the only person who could draw her out of that mansion was Duke Astermark.
The moment I saw her name, something blossomed within me.
"It is said that the Saintess will also attend this time. Surely there will be benefits to be gained at the Fate (縁) Meeting venue itself."
The Baron's voice carried a faint anticipation.
Anticipation that he had earned a merit worthy of being devoured by me as a magical beast.
It was an expression not devoid of greed, but brimming with loyalty.
"Yes. You did well. I shall ponder a suitable reward for you."
"Yes! Master!"
"You may withdraw. I must examine this."
"Yes! Have a comfortable evening!"
After he left, I gazed out the window.
The spires of Hylash were glittering in the morning sunlight.
'Soon.'
I had come here determined to obtain four objectives: two Stars and two Sacred Fruits.
I had found one of the two Stars, but the other's whereabouts remained untraced.
On the other hand, one of the Sacred Fruits I sought was being tracked by Evangeline, and the other would be obtained naturally once all matters here concluded.
That left only one thing.
'The problem is what situation they are in right now.'
The other Star who had come here from the west.
Pondering where he or she might be, I sat down on a chair on the terrace and traced the rim of a teacup with my finger.
Seth had said she was one who made secret maneuvering her trade.
'If that's the case, surely...'
Would it be today? Or perhaps tomorrow.
If she was one who walked in the shadows, she would be able to find a way to approach me before I came looking for her.
I looked forward to the moment I would see her.
- 2 -
"You must not personally attend this Fate (縁) Meeting, Master."
Evangeline's voice was laced with an unusual tension.
Seeing her fingers unconsciously fidget with the hem of her garment, I could sense that this advice had not been an easy decision for her either.
It felt as if she was saying this because she truly had no other choice, even though she had originally intended to refrain from such 'spoilers'.
"... Explain in detail."
At my request, she hesitated for a moment, then looked at Yuran.
The black-haired Fox likewise wore the same troubled expression as Evangeline.
"The issue is that we could not set precise conditions for the memory preservation of the two who have yet to arrive."
A story confessed with honest eyes.
It seemed she had been one of those who set conditions on the regression magic.
"Precise conditions?"
"The moment their eyes meet my Lord's, their memories will be synchronized. But it is difficult to gauge what effect those memories, once obtained, might have... that is the gist."
"Excessive Fate."
With anything, the larger the scale, the harder it is to control—that was a natural consequence.
Especially when it came to magic.
Even with conditions set, it would have been difficult to make them complex.
It would have been hard to set a condition like, 'Regain memories only in a situation where the surroundings are stabilized and there will be no rampage even if memories are obtained.'
In that case...
"So those two, upon regaining their memories and falling into chaos, might do something unpredictable."
At my words, the Seths affirmed it in their own ways, wearing somewhat gloomy faces.
"I apologize... for my lack of ability..."
"Sorry..."
"Enough. As if any of this is your fault."
I saw that not only Ran, but also Shue and even Eve were darkening their expressions.
It seemed they were thinking that they had sullied what should have been a memorable first meeting between me and them.
How typical of them, to be so anxious over my feelings.
I deliberately hardened my expression to focus their attention, then softened it again to reassure them.
"The mere fact that you were able to come find me is a miracle. A miracle you yourselves created."
I too had accumulated much more study by now.
I know that regression magic, except in fated cases like theirs, is difficult to even satisfy the conditions for.
As I spoke those words and met Yuran's eyes, she lowered her head once with a faint smile.
"That magic is simply like that. I am always grateful for your resolve and devotion. Deep in my heart."
Furthermore, even though they fulfilled the conditions, they had abandoned everything they possessed in the future and returned to this era.
For the current me, it was only right to be thankful.
Shue shyly averted her gaze.
"So do not hide your expressions. I cherish you all... and love you. Deeply. No matter what happens."
Of course, this was not unconditional trust.
But unless they directly pointed a blade at me, I had the confidence to believe in them.
Evangeline met my gaze with a proud expression.
"Therefore, bring them to my side as intact as possible. I wish to tell them I am sorry for not being able to go and greet them personally."
""Yes.""
To the Seths, who resolutely nodded their heads, I ended with a joke and a laugh.
"Above all, this means I can just relax, play around, and wait for them. So why are you the ones apologizing?"
"Ah. If you look at it that way..."
"I'll be here by your side... you go and come back..."
"Don't slyly decide that on your own, Shue."
The Seths began bickering, glancing at each other.
Watching them, I half-reclined on the bed.
Of course, it was regrettable not being able to greet them directly.
But I, too, had been through some complicated matters in the Demon Realm.
Thanks to the issue regarding Stella, I had accumulated considerable mental fatigue, so to speak.
I might as well entrust the more visible critical phases to them, and take care of one other matter myself in the meantime.
"A week from now... I suppose I should look for something else before then."
"It will be as you will, Master."
Something a bit easier on the mind.
- 3 -
The shadow warrior of the Han Nation's Prince, Sangoyo Saya, was currently roaming the streets of Hylash. She had obtained free time a few days earlier under the pretext of 'hospitality.'
Using this time, she investigated the mansions of Hylash's high-ranking nobles one by one.
From the warehouse inventories to the servants' movement routes, she had been digging up the city's dark secrets.
'There are too many suspicious circumstances in this city.'
A small sigh escaped between her lips.
While scouting the royal capital, she had discovered a progressively deeper darkness.
The first of these was Duke Astermark.
A collateral branch of the Hysen royal family that had lost nearly all real power and retained only its honor, they were now eyeing the Saintess's bloodline—even abandoning the marriage pact with House Ironfield to do so.
'Such is the greed of nobles.'
The Saintess's bloodline and the power of the Border Margrave.
It was clear there had been pressure from the royal family to choose only one of the two.
The prospect of shaking Ironfield's position—a house rapidly expanding its influence centered on a young hero—must have been an attractive bonus for the Hysen royal family.
Meanwhile, the chance to secure the Saintess might not come easily again, but the Border Margrave could present other opportunities in the future.
From the ducal house's perspective, it was an obvious choice.
'Only the Saintess ended up pitiable.'
Saintess Esther, who had come from the Holy Kingdom to mediate the war between the three nations.
Yet behind her pure zeal, another calculation of the Holy Kingdom lay concealed.
A deal aiming for two-fold gains: war mediation fees and the 'sale' of the Saintess herself.
'Next is...'
The second shadow was aimed at Saya herself: the Prince who had come from the Kiza royal family to this country's embassy.
It was already unusual for a prince to come to an embassy, and the reason was the merger of the two nations.
He was also the perpetrator of the 'dishonor' she might now be forced to suffer.
- The one who led this marriage... was the Hysen royal family.
As she deduced it, the Hysen royal family seemed to be dreaming of a Fate (縁) bond with the Han Nation.
Since relations had recently soured further with the great power sandwiched between the two countries, the Zenota United Kingdom.
They likely wished to keep Zenota in check from both sides while securing their own interests separately.
Of course, ideally, they would have wanted the bloodline of the Emperor.
'That is where the Prince, who became a private citizen here, and I, his cherished subordinate, appeared.'
It was highly probable that the Prince had also been sounded out regarding a marriage alliance.
However.
'He must have refused.'
Her lord had told her that other conditions were too severe, leaving no choice.
But in reality, he would have refused the marriage proposal directed at himself and pushed forward with hers instead.
She was certain of it.
'Because my blood holds that much value.'
If it was the blood of a renowned yōkai the Han imperial house had succeeded in subjugating, its purity was beyond doubt.
Though she was a demon, that was of no concern from the humans' perspective.
The seal placed upon her blood could never be broken by her descendants, even if she herself did not know how.
If they could gain control over half-demon children born from her descendants, the family would essentially be securing exceptional shadow warriors as illegitimate children or bastards.
'But why?'
A child born between a demon and a human was one of two things.
Either a demon, or a human. It was destined to be born inheriting the bloodline of one side deeply.
There was no avoiding the question.
The bloodline itself might hold some meaning, but was it truly valuable enough to replace a blood (縁) alliance with the imperial house?
Here, the final suspicious circumstance converged on one thing.
- The royal family...
The Hysen royal family. The youngest princess there. A young princess.
A figure who rarely engaged in external activities, yet for some reason was the subject of rampant rumors.
Reportedly, she was much younger than her other siblings.
Reportedly, she possessed several mysterious powers.
It was said she was born inheriting the blood of the most noble being.
But no one had ever seen her face in person.
And above all, she had been sensing one thing regarding the royal family.
'Had they not already succeeded in creating a hybrid crossbreed between human and demon?'
If this speculation was correct, it was not that she did not engage in external activities.
'She is unable to.'
If it were up to her heart, she wanted to confirm whether this deduction was truly correct—about the young half-demon who might be isolated among humans.
But finding the master of the 'fate' that shook her soul took priority.
'I am drawing closer.'
She had already narrowed down the range.
Because one more suspicious circumstance had been added to Hylash some time ago: the 'eyes' everywhere in the city—the information merchants and the Information Guild.
There were places in this city that they did not watch.
A fact she could discern because she was a seasoned shadow warrior.
The places where eyes moving in the dark averted their gaze had previously been only two locations.
One was the royal palace. The other was the old grand ducal residence managed by the royal family.
Recently, one more location had been added to this list.
'That is...'
Here.
The street in the west crowded with noble mansions and palaces.
In this place, where eyes should normally be overflowing everywhere, they were pulling back.
And...
'As I thought.'
Whenever she came near this area, her heart pounded fiercely.
The premonition shaking her soul grew clearer and clearer.
Today was the last day she could move freely; she now had to find this 'fate'.
If she missed today, she might miss it forever.
Tak!
She darted out into the street.
In the darkness of the night sky, a colossal star visible only to her was calling out to her.